Christmas food expected to cost more this year

Millions of Americans are gearing up for Christmas celebrations, and many are planning to spend time with loved ones and cook for the holidays.

Nearly three-quarters of U.S. consumers celebrating Christmas plan to gather with family and friends, and 33% will have guests over, according to a Numerator survey.

The study also reveals that 61% plan to cook or bake at home during the holidays.

As Christmas approaches, many of those planning to cook are likely preparing their grocery lists – and wallets – for the occasion.

Overall, a Christmas meal and gingerbread, a popular holiday treat, will be more expensive in the United States this year thanks to popular ingredients increasing in price year over year, reported Expana.

The commodities data provider said main meal prices – measured by the Main Meal Index as part of its Christmas Dinner Index – recorded a 2.3% rise on last year. It covered turkey, pork, beef, shrimp, lamb, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and turnips.

This price increase was “largely due to rising prices for pork, lamb, shrimp and some vegetables,” according to the Expana report.

All meats tracked by Expana for the Main Meal Index, except turkey, increased compared to last year. The cost of a 16-pound frozen turkey was down 13.7 percent from last November, averaging $1.07 per pound, according to the study’s findings.

Prices per kilo of boneless lamb legs increased by 9.2% compared to 2023, according to Expana. The price of bone-in hams and ¼-inch trimmed bone-in pork butts also increased, with the report revealing the former showed an 8.3% increase and the latter 3.4%.

Among Main Meal Index vegetables, sweet potato prices increased the most, at 2.6%. Regular potatoes and turnips saw smaller increases of 1.6% and 1.4%

Expana pegged the cost of carrots at 58 cents per pound, representing a 19.2% year-over-year decline.

Meanwhile, the report observed a 5.5% increase in its gingerbread index made up of wheat flour, sugar, butter, eggs, ginger and cassia. This increase is largely linked to the costs of eggs and sugar.

Commodity data shows its “benchmark Midwest Large quote” averaged $4.29 per dozen in November, up 97.5% from the same period last year. ‘last year.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the average price of a dozen large Grade A eggs in U.S. cities was $3.649 in November, up from $2.138 a year ago.

Factors such as “robust retail demand, holiday preparations and persistent inflation, as well as bird flu, contributed to their higher costs, according to Expana.

In addition to eggs and sugar, the spices ginger and cassia have increased in price, it was found.

Butter and wheat, however, have become cheaper, according to Expana’s measurements. Their prices fell by 2.2% and 2% respectively.

The Main Meal and Gingerbread indices make up the Expana Christmas Dinner Index. Taking into account changes in the cost of everyone’s ingredients, Christmas meals and gingerbread together showed an increase of 2.4% compared to 2023, the report said.

For the winter holidays, consumers will spend $261 on food, candy, decorations and other non-gift items, according to separate data from the National Retail Federation.